Range Rover

Until its luxury Range Rover model migrated here from England in 1987, Land Rover owners on this side of the pond consisted of a dedicated group of off-roaders who tolerated the original, ultra-Spartan vehicle's lousy road manners as a way to get to the back country. But serious were they? A Rover-dedicated Web site in Canada made this observation about a change to the Rover lineup in 1972: "To the horror of many owners, the grille was changed from steel mesh to plastic, which meant it could no longer be used as a campfire grill.

This elegant all-wheel-drive luxury SUV was once designed to traverse the sweeping expanse of the Serengeti, but now seems more suited to the gentleman farmer. Certainly, the noble 2012 Range Rover HSE still has its way with even the most rugged off-roading thanks to its adjustable Terrain Response System, but the lavishly appointed HSE also commands front row parking at the office. The 5-liter, 375-horsepower V8 powerfully, but thirstily -- 12 mpg city and 18 highway -- moves the truck without hesitation.

Overview: The Range Rover, a sports utility vehicle introduced in the United States in March 1987 after winning hearts and minds overseas for 17 years, is woefully expensive. It's the Rolls-Royce of four-wheel-drive multipurpose vehicles, and it would make lots of sense to own one if you intended to, or had a need to, exploit its wonderful potential.Engine, transmission, technical notes: The engine is a fuel-injected version of the 3.5-liter, V-8 engine introduced by GM's Buick Division in 1961 -- yes, 1961.

Until its luxury Range Rover model migrated here from England in 1987, Land Rover owners on this side of the pond consisted of a dedicated group of off-roaders who tolerated the original, ultra-Spartan vehicle's lousy road manners as a way to get to the back country. But serious were they? A Rover-dedicated Web site in Canada made this observation about a change to the Rover lineup in 1972: "To the horror of many owners, the grille was changed from steel mesh to plastic, which meant it could no longer be used as a campfire grill.

Just what Range Rover customers need: a faster, more luxurious offering. That's precisely what Land Rover will offer when it features its new Range Rover at the '94 Birmingham Motor Show.Today's chassis (around in basic form since 1970) and air suspension remain, but the body and interior will be new. Power in the top-line models will come from a 32-valve, 4.5-liter V-8, producing 235 horsepower - up from the current 200.Virtually every aluminum body panel is new, although the shape isn't a radical departure from today's Range Rover.

Charles Hughes, president of Range Rover of North America, said last week at the Detroit auto show that Orlando will have a Range Rover dealer by the end of the year.Hughes said Orlando has been on Range Rover's expansion list for some time, and the company is now in the process of looking for a dealer.Range Rover is the hot-selling British luxury all-terrain vehicle made by England's Rover Group, the company formerly known as British Leyland. The Range Rover has been a smash since debuting in the United States in 1987.

If there is a slump in sales in high-priced European luxury vehicles this year, someone forgot to tell the folks at Range Rover. Sales for the year are about 48 percent higher than last year.With a new model called the County in the lineup this year, more than 2,750 of the $40,000 luxury all-terrain vehicles have been sold so far in 1989, according to Range Rover. Range Rover has 71 dealers nationwide, including three in Florida. The nearest dealer to Orlando is in Clearwater; the others are located in Miami and West Palm Beach.

The hot-selling Range Rover luxury all-terrain vehicle from England's Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) will be available in the Orlando area by the end of the month at Fields BMW, 265 N. U.S. Highway 17-92, Longwood.The Range Rover, now 20 years old, is regarded as one of the best off-road vehicles built. It is powered by an aluminum V-8 engine that started life in the early 1960s powering Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile subcompacts. Rover bought the 3.5-liter engine from GM in 1966 and has improved it year after year.

Range Rover, darling of the trendy on-off-roader set, is giving more performance in return for its high price this year. In recent test runs at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., the '89 Range Rover easily outran the '88 model. For this added bit of British pluck, one would pay $35,800 -- about 4.1 percent higher than the cost of the 1988. That price covers a bigger engine, a new transfer case and other features. The only options are leather upholstery ($1,125) and a sunroof ($1,375).According to Range Rover, only 8 percent of owners often use the vehicle for off-road driving.

Of the 34 foreign and domestic automotive franchises surveyed by automotive consultant J.D. Power, Range Rover topped the list as the one with the highest dealer satisfaction index.Power, the automotive consultant who churns out survey after survey, said Range Rover scored 125 points in the survey, eight more than Acura, its closest rival. The survey asked dealers about 35 different aspects of their relationship with manufacturers. Range Rover led the way in business terms, sales support and vehicle supply procedures, and ranked near the top in service support.

A widower doesn't quite come to grips with his shortcomings as a parent in The Boys are Back, a mournful melodrama that serves up Clive Owen as a "free range" parent in an Aussie Kramer vs. Kramer . Owen plays Joe Warr, a British ex-pat who is now a sports columnist in Australia. But his well-heeled life of tennis tournaments and swim meets is upended when his beloved wife dies. Absentee dadnow must juggle work with a 6-year-old (Nicholas McAnulty) who doesn't grasp Mom's death. His solution?

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, India's largest automaker, insists that his company is stressing "quality over quantity." That's good, because quantity has certainly suffered since his company bought Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford last March. In September, Tata stopped providing monthly sales figures for the two premium brands, but there's no question sales are down: Automotive News suggests Land Rover sales have dropped 64 percent this year, compared with 2007. That's understandable for vehicles such as the Range Rover, which starts at more than $77,000 and is EPA-rated at a grim 12 mpg in the city, 18 mpg on the highway.

In 2005, when I wrote my first test of the Range Rover Sport, one aspect of the vehicle confused me, and it confuses me now: Since the "Range Rover" name has always been reserved for the absolute top-of-the-line model, why is this one called the Range Rover Sport, when it's really just an ultra-luxurious version of the LR3? Clearly, it doesn't matter, because of the four Rover models -- the entry-level LR2, the LR3, the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport -- the Sport is the top seller, with the company having moved 3,173 of them the first quarter of 2008.

TAMPA -- David Boston had done everything right in his NFL comeback attempt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What happened Thursday night could be a career-altering setback. Boston, the 29-year-old wide receiver, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after police found him passed out at the wheel of his Range Rover -- with the engine running -- at a red light of a Pinellas Park intersection around 7:30 p.m. "An officer actually had to wake him up," Pinellas Park Police Capt.

Given the success of the Range Rover Sport in the U.S. market, Land Rover North America is convinced there's a market for an even more upscale version of the sport-ute. This month, the company will begin selling the Range Rover Sport LE, a limited-edition model with only 250 available in North America. This version is equipped with different front and rear bumpers, an extended rear roof spoiler, body-colored lower side panels, a new rear exhaust system and 20-inch Stormer wheels. Inside, there's a "Luxury Interior Package" that includes premium leather seats, hand-polished oak trim and a center console cooler box. There's also an audiovisual entertainment system for rear-seat passengers and adaptive cruise control.

With the introduction of the 2008 Land Rover LR2, the brand finally has a solid across-the-board lineup of SUVs that need no excuses. Well, one excuse: They're expensive. Land Rover has tried twice, failed twice to introduce a proper entry-level (for it, anyway) model to the U.S. market. First came the Discovery, a delightful midsize SUV that worked very well, when it worked at all. There are customers who love the Discovery, but there are more who have lost count of the things that have gone wrong with it. The Discovery wasn't absurdly expensive when new, but its resale value has been battered.

Range Rover will use the British International Motor Show at Birmingham to launch what it says is not only its fastest product but the best-handling vehicle ever to come out of the Solihull factory gates. That vehicle is the CSK Range Rover.The CSK - the initials coming from the truck's designer, Charles Spencer King - is fitted with a slick five-speed gearbox and, with the previous model's speed governor removed, can top 114 mph.But the big news is the new Rover's handling. The CSK is the first Range Rover to sport an anti-roll bar, thus dramatically improving body control on the road, Rover said.

I could not help but think that every time I punched the accelerator pedal on the 2007 Range Rover, somewhere a Mideastern oil sheik was smiling. With an EPA rating of 13 miles per gallon in the city, which actually turned out to be slightly optimistic in real-world conditions, this is a thirsty vehicle. And that thirst prefers premium gasoline, thank you, but regular will do in a pinch. Of course, with a list price of more than $95,000, it's likely no one who is interested in buying a Range Rover places a premium on fuel economy.

DETROIT -- Ford will launch its F-150 pickup with a diesel engine in 2008 or 2009, a former top executive confirmed. If it arrives on time, the F-150 probably will be the first light-duty pickup with a diesel in North America. Dave Szczupak, who retired Oct. 1 as Ford's vice president of manufacturing for the Americas, said the F-150 will get a version of the 3.6-liter V-8 diesel used in the Land Rover Range Rover SUV sold in Europe. Ford will be the first with the product unless Toyota or Nissan pulls off a surprise.